The Kin Th e King Who Fel g Who Fell l 3 3 Siren en Song of Lebanon anon
Solomon & Delilah: Characters Solomon the King Lebanese Bride Heb literally “THE King” Bloch, p120 1:1,5; 3:7,9,11; 8:11,12 4:8; 4:11,15; 7:4 2 / 23
Plot Summary • He is Israel’s spiritual leader • She does not know Israel’s God • Their mutual love is genuine • He becomes infatuated with her He ‘changes nationality’ His leadership role transfers to her • No mention of God (his responsibility) She becomes deadly (his fault) Dynamics with Support Characters • Daughters of Jerusalem resent her (she takes their place) • Watchmen of Jerusalem try to eliminate her 3 / 23
King & the Bride are Married Modern commentators believe the couple are unmarried because of their separate domiciles; i.e. grooms don’t live apart from brides e.g. Gledhill p39; Murphy p263 Except for Solomon! Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy .” 2 Chr 8:11 4 / 23
Solomon’s Spiritual Collapse King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter— Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done. 1 Kgs 11:1-6 6 / 23
Chronology “Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one, is unique…” 6:8-9 860 partners still to come Dt 17:17 This relationship doesn’t last! Chronology during Solomon’s reign 5 / 23
Chiasmus B B B B Bb Bb Bb Bb M M M M F F F F 7 / 23
Chiasmus He leads her She leads him 2:10; 2:13; 4:8 7:11; 8:14 Tower Tower of Lebanon ” of David 4:4 7:4 Mtns of spices Mtns of Bether 5:1 8:14 2:17 “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice .” Call from him away Call from her away 4:1-7 from Lebanon from Jerusalem 4:8 8:14 7:1-9 8 / 23
Transfer of Initially he leads: But the lead transfers: “Come with me…” “Come into…” 4:16 Leadership “Come…” 7:11 2:10 & 2:13 & 4:8 “Come away…” 8:14 5:1 “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.” 5:1 BEFORE AFTER Call away from Call away from Lebanon Jerusalem 9 / 23
BEFORE AFTER The Mountains Mtns of Bether Mtns of spices 2:17 8:14 5:1 Judah Pleasures “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.” 5:1 10 / 23
Aside: Mountain is a Biblical symbol for a ruling power “Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.” Psa 72:1-3 “For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’” Lk 23:29-30 “But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.” Dan 2:35 11 / 23
BEFORE AFTER The Mountains Mtns of Bether Mtns of spices 2:17 8:14 5:1 Judah Pleasures “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.” 5:1 10 / 23
BEFORE The Sequential Poems (wasfs) AFTER 4:1-7 5:1 Elegant revelation of their consummation Clever depiction of the transfer of power 7:1-9 12 / 23
BEFORE AFTER Spiritual Immigration Solomon to the Bride: Bride to Solomon: “His appearance is “Your neck is like the like Lebanon, choice tower of David, built as its cedars.” 5:15 with elegance” 4:4 Solomon to the Bride: 5:1 “Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon looking toward Damascus.” 7:4 ISRAEL LEBANON 13 / 23
Entranced, Bride: “While the king was at his table, Entangled my perfume spread its fragrance .” 1:12 Solomon: “Your hair is like royal tapestry; the king is held captive by its tresses.” 7:5 The King describes himself as a captive, mesmerized 15 / 23
She Holds “Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon Power by the gate of Bath Rabbim .” 7:4 Heshbon is in Moab Beth Rabbim = ‘House of Rabbis ’ He is taking leadership from her beautiful (foreign) eyes Bride: “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm” 8:6 Owner seals owned => She owns him “[angels] put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God .” Rev 7:3 16 / 23
Proverbs 7 Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. (She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks)… The Bride I have covered my bed “All night long on my with colored linens from Egypt. bed I looked for the I have perfumed my bed one my heart loves; I with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let’s drink deeply of love till looked for him but did morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with not find him. I will get love! My husband is not at home; he up now and go about has gone on a long journey. the city, through its Prov 7:10-12,16-19 streets and squares …” 3:1-2 17 / 23
Proverbs 7 Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. (She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks)… The Bride I have covered my bed “I liken you, my darling, with colored linens from Egypt. to a mare among I have perfumed my bed Pharaoh’s chariot with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. horses. ” 1:9 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love! My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. Prov 7:10-12,16-19 18 / 23
Proverbs 7 Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. (She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks)… The Bride “And our bed is verdant. I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt. ...My beloved has gone I have perfumed my bed down to his garden, to the with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. beds of spices, to browse Come, let’s drink deeply of love till in the gardens” 1:16, 6:2 morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love! My husband is not at home; he “henna… nard and has gone on a long journey. saffron, calamus and Prov 7:10-12,16-19 cinnamon… with myrrh and aloes.” 4:13-14 19 / 23
Proverbs 7 Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. (She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks)… The Bride I have covered my bed “Until the day breaks and with colored linens from Egypt. the shadows flee, I will go I have perfumed my bed to the mountain of myrrh with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. and to the hill of incense” Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with 4:6 love! My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. Prov 7:10-12,16-19 20 / 23
Love More than Wine Beloved “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine.” 1:2 Friends “We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine.” 1:4 Lover “How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine” 4:10 Love > Life. A deadly love 22 / 23
Love More than Life “for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave .” 8:6 Repeated emphasis that the love will be deadly
“Sixty queens there Terrors in the Night may be…” 6:8 “Look! It is Solomon’s carriage, escorted by sixty warriors… prepared for the terrors of the night .” 3:7-8 Spiritually, the “terrors of the night” were never outside Solomon’s own bed 21 / 23
• Love can be intense enough to replace God if faith is weak • Even love which is pure & feels right can be fatal if it displaces God How could love ever cost me my faith? If I believe “truth,” won’t truth beat error? We’re deceiving ourselves if we think we always value the quest for truth more than celebration of pleasure
Th The Kin e King Who Fel g Who Fell l 4 4 Lilies ies, Myrrh rrh & Doves es
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